My time in the Galapagos has been amazing. So much so that I have extended my stay here by 7 days. 🙂
Upon arrival at the airport on Baltra Island, and before we were allowed to retrieve our checked luggage, I noticed a happy-looking labrador retriever locked in a cage near the bags. Once all the luggage was unloaded, a security employee let the dog loose and he excitedly rushed over to the luggage, jumping on & around the bags while sniffing for trouble. He had a smile on his face the whole time, so apparently this dog loves his job!
I tracked down and met my guide, who was holding a Galapagos Voyager sign outside the airport. The rest of my group was already there, so we took a ferry to Santa Cruz island, where we began the adventure. After viewing giant tortoises and then touring Charles Darwin Research Station, we at last took a dinghy to the Galapagos Voyager yacht, our home for the next 7 days.
I didn’t take any notes during the cruise, and the days kind of blurred together, so the below details an overall account:
We would leave the boat for island excursions twice a day, and snorkel once or twice a day. We walked to amazing rock formations, scenic viewpoints, crystal-clear white sand beaches, a (now hardened) lava river, and much more. After some of the excursions and each snorkel session, we were treated to snacks and/or drinks back on board the ship. The hot chocolate was perfect after snorkeling in the cold water. The food served was good. We were given three meals a day, which usually included many fresh fruits & vegetables.
Among the land animals, we saw the aforementioned giant tortoises, as well as many iguanas, lizards, many sea lions, penguins, three species of boobies, crabs, frigate birds, and various other birds. Most of these animals were fearless of humans, and walked right up to us or allowed us to get close to them.
We snorkeled with sea lions, rays, turtles, hammerhead sharks, and of course many varieties of colorful fish. Too bad I don’t have a waterproof camera, or I’d have some really good underwater pictures. On the last full day, as we were heading back to Santa Cruz, I saw dolphins jumping in front of the bow of the ship!
Despite having plenty of activities during the day, we still had plenty of downtime while traveling to the different islands. Most of us would read or lounge and enjoy the scenery.
After the cruise I took a boat to Isabela island, where I have been hanging out for over a week now. More on Isabela in the next update.
aaron travels the world 